Jay Mata Di. Jay Jwala Maa.
After destroying the 'Yagna' of Dakshya , Lord Shiva placed the burnt dead body of Sati (His wife) on his shoulders and started wandering about in a state of madness in the space ('antarikshya' in Hindi and Sanskrit).To save the world from the destructive wrath of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu started cutting the limbs of the dead Goddess one by one. The places where they fell became sacred centers for the worship of Shakti or Power.The tongue of Sati fell at the place where the temple of Jwalamukhi is situated. The flames that come out of the openings in the earth's surface are regarded as the manifestations of the fallen tongue of Mata Sati and are worshipped as "Jwalamukhi Devi" (Goddess, who emits flames from her mouth).
Legend of Dhyanu Bhagat and Mughal Emperor Akbar
Writer's view
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| The sacred flame is the idol in Jwala Devi Temple |
To the astonishment of all, here we are presenting a miracle about our Goddess Jwala Maa. Maa means mother. The miracle is nine eternal flames without any fuel, exist and receive worship from devotees in Jwala Devi temple in India. This shrine is located in the lower Himalayas in Jwalamukhi town of the KangraHimachal Pradesh (state) of India, about 55 kilometers from the larger town of Dharamsala. These set of flames burning off natural gas is the physical manifestation of Jwala Ji or JwalaMaa. The temple is one of the 51 'Shakti Pithas' of Hindu Mythology. In the early times, people tried to explore the fact behind these burning flames, but nothing substantial was made out. These flames are burning due to some natural jets of combustible gas.In this temple, there is no idol because the Goddess is considered to be residing in the form of flames. The nine ceaseless flames are named as Mahakali, Annapurna, Chandi, Hinglaj, Vindhya Vasini, Mahalakshmi, Saraswati, Ambika and Anji Devi respectively.
The story behind it's being Shaktipith
(Shakti Pith - a recognised place where Power exists)
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| Royal entrance of Jwala Devi Temple |
Dhyanu Bhagat was a supreme devotee of JwalaMaa during the reign of Akbar, the Mughal Emperor in the then India. Knowing about Devotion of Dhyanu, Akbar called for him and asked to qualify in a hard test to prove the supreme power of Dhyanu'sJwalaMaa. He cut the head of a horse and wanted Dhyanu to join it and make alive again the animal with the power of the Goddess. To the surprise of all, the same horse was found alive after some days. Impressed by this incident, he wanted to know more about the Goddess and came to know about the eternal flames. In a fit of anger, he tried to douse the flames with a stream of water which is very much present today also in the name of "Akbar kaa nahar" or the spring of Akbar. However,the great power of the Goddess, still kept the flames burning. Now realizing the power of Jwala Devi, Akbar came with his army to this temple. He brought a Gold umbrella (Chatra) for the Goddess, but on offering, the umbrella turned into an unknown metal suggesting that the Goddess didn't accept his offering. The said umbrella has also been kept in the temple library to be watched by the visitors. God,
Writer's view
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| Writer Himanshu Guru and his wife |
I have personally visited this place. One may not believe the mythology depicted above, but definitely it is a miracle of nature and it says about the practical presence of God either in the form of God or Nature. Hence realising the existence of this supreme power the best creation of the creator, that is human being should walk in the right path for establishment of peace and brotherhood throughout the world.
